1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement of a document reading apparatus, more specifically, a document reading apparatus whose print mode may be selected between either a normal print mode or a saving print mode having print settings in which less paper is consumed than in the normal print mode. The document reading apparatus generates output images from read images based on the print mode. The present invention also relates to an improvement of a document reading method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most conventional copying machines have an aggregate printing function which aggregates images read from plural pieces of documents and prints the aggregated images on a single piece of paper, and a double-sided printing function which prints read images composed of two pages respectively on both sides of paper. For example, these functions can be executed selectively.
The aggregate printing and the double-sided printing can save paper consumed for printing compared with normal printing, which prints read images composed of plural pages on one side of paper in order, one page per sheet of paper. Recently, in view of paper saving, printers including a saving print mode, which automatically selects print settings of the aggregate printing, the double-sided printing, and the like, and performs printing, have been suggested. However, with such a printer, for example, when a user wants to perform normal printing but is not aware of an existing saving print mode, or even if the user is aware of the saving print mode but forgets to deactivate the saving print mode, an undesirable printing would be performed against the user's intention, thereby resulting in a waste of paper consumption.